"who are" vs "whose are"

Question

"who are" vs "whose are"

The phrases 'who are' and 'whose are' have different meanings and are used in different contexts. 'Who are' is used to inquire about the identity of people, while 'whose are' is used to inquire about possession or ownership. Therefore, they are not directly comparable as they serve different purposes.

Last Updated: March 27, 2024

Use 'who are' when you want to ask about the identity of a group of people or individuals.

Examples:

Who are those people?
Who are you talking to?
Who are the members of the team?
Who are the guests at the party?
Who are the winners of the competition?

Use 'whose are' when you want to ask about the ownership or possession of something.

Examples:

Whose are these books?
Whose are these keys?
Whose are those shoes?
Whose are these bags?
Whose are those cars?

Answer 1

who are

The phrase 'who are' is correct and commonly used in English to inquire about the identity of people.

Answer 2

whose are

The phrase 'whose are' is correct but less commonly used in English. It is used to inquire about possession or ownership.

"who are" vs "whose are"

who are

whose are

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